Rating: NNNNN
FICTION
1 MISS WYOMING, by Douglas Coupland (Random House) – Pop cult’s phrasemaker roasts L.A. and American excess.
2 TIPPING THE VELVET, by Sarah Waters (Virago) – Turn-of-the-last-century tale of Victorian sex workers turned into the lesbo-lit event of last year.
3 THE POISONWOOD BIBLE, by Barbara Kingsolver (HarperCollins) – White minister’s myopia in Africa has its consequences.
4 INVISIBLE LIFE, by E. Lynn Harris (Doubleday) – First in a terrific trilogy tracks impact of racism and AIDS on a young, bisexual American black man.
5 CLOSE RANGE: WYOMING STORIES, by Annie Proulx (Scribner) – Gem-like stories from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author centre on characters from the wide-open state.
NON-FICTION
1 NO LOGO, by Naomi Klein (Knopf) – Savvy Canuck commentator predicts global rebellion against branding.
2 THE KID: WHAT HAPPENED AFTER MY BOYFRIEND AND I DECIDED TO GET PREGNANT, by Dan Savage (Dutton) – Gay sex adviser tells tales of alternative fatherhood.
3 BUST GUIDE TO THE NEW GIRL ORDER, edited by Debbie Stoller and Marcelle Karp (Penguin) – The best of the New York-based grrrlie mag.
4 PILLS-A-GO-GO, by Jim Hogshire (Group West) – Fascinating survey unearths all you need to know about pill art, marketing and consumption.
5 A HEARTBREAKING WORK OF STAGGERING GENIUS, by Dave Eggers (Simon & Shuster) – Tale of a young orphan proves memoirs are still going strong.
Compiled through a survey of Toronto independent bookstores, including Another Story (164 Danforth), A Different Booklist (746 Bathurst), Pages (256 Queen West) and Toronto Women’s Bookstore (73 Harbord)